I love telling people about my photography business. I’m all about hidden meanings and crazy ideas, which is probably why I like the Indiana Jones and the Oceans movie collections so much. So when I was thinking about making my passion into something that had a banner that would give people a glimpse into the heart of what the business was about, I knew I wanted to convey three things in one.
1. I wanted to show people that *I* love them. I’m not talking like your Mom, or your Spouse, or your Children, but as someone who genuinely thinks you are WORTHY, and VALUED, and worth CELEBRATING. I love that everyone has a story, and everyone has battle scars and victories. I wanted my clients to feel that, and I wanted my name to be a warmth you felt when you read it—something that made you smile, made you maybe even want to look a little further.

2. I wanted to show people how much God loved them. Every time the sun peeked up over those hill tops, every time a bird made the perfect edition to my portraits, every wrinkle and laugh line and tendril of hair that sways in the wind that I can catch—I can personally say that I feel like that is God, or Energy, or the Earth, or whatever you want to call it—but it’s the heart of what gave us our emotive and spiritual side, and I wanted to showcase *THAT* while also showcasing how much I loved them as well.

3. I wanted people to be able to show *other* people that they loved them. That’s why we get pictures done, right? You get wedding pictures to celebrate and immortalize your love. You get family pictures to celebrate and immortalize your memories of that time of growth in your lives. When ever you take a picture, or get your picture taken, it’s because you’re passionate about something, and you want to share it with someone else. And I wanted to be helping you show love. And it’s a humbling aspect, a beautiful and tremendous responsibility, and a great task that I take on PROUDLY. And every time able to share that for you, because that’s what my gift is.

So when I was thinking of the name of my business, I realized all three things were so incredibly important, so perfectly aligned with my heart, I couldn’t downplay any of them. And a phrase that had been uttered to me by important people in my life came to mind. SHMILY.
SHMILY is actually an acronym. It means See How Much I Love You. You see what I did there? I made it a point to keep the things that were important to me IN the name of my business, as a beacon to those souls that would connect with mine. I’m not just a photographer. I’m a story teller. I’m immortalizing you at a point in your life. I’m showing you love, sharing love,helping you share your love to. So now, when someone asks me the name of my business, now you know that I’m saying “I love you, He loves you, and it’s awesome that you want to share your love in this way.”